The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s office will not pursue charges against a substitute teacher who has been accused by a Turlock mayoral candidate of assaulting her daughter in class last October.

Kelley Coelho, a private investigator who recently dropped her bid for a city council seat only to announce this week that she’s running for mayor, alleged that Vance Yarbrough assaulted her daughter, Faith Solis, on Oct. 22, 2025 at Turlock Junior High School.

Investigations by the Turlock Police Department, Turlock Unified School District, and TJHS found no wrongdoing by the teacher.

In a letter to the Turlock Police Department, the DA’s office said it cannot prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. The letter went on to say that the only statements corroborating Solis’ allegations are from her friends, and “are not consistent and are largely proven false by video surveillance outside the classroom.”

Coelho alleged at a Nov. 4 TUSD board meeting that TPD covered up the incident to protect the school district.

“The Turlock Police Department submitted its investigation to the Stanislaus County District Attorney’s office for an independent review following criticism of our investigation,” Turlock Police Chief Jason Hedden said just a few hours after Coelho demanded an apology from him on a Facebook post. “We never doubted the accuracy and integrity of our officer’s investigation but having a second set of eyes examine our work is never a bad idea. It helps ensure we did things right.

“We remain committed to conducting fair, professional, and above-reproach investigations in every case.”

During Tuesday night’s Turlock City Council meeting, Coelho told councilmembers she’d received a letter from the District Attorney that said her daughter was, indeed, the victim of a crime.

Under Marsy’s Law, the state constitution requires that victims be informed of their rights.

“We send out a letter, along with a brochure, explaining what those rights are,” said Chief Deputy District Attorney Wendell Emerson. “It’s a pro forma letter that informs any potential victims of their rights.”

A request for comment by Coelho was referred to her Sacramento-based attorney, Brandon Schwartz. Until recently, Coelho had represented herself in court proceedings.

Efforts to contact Schwartz were unsuccessful.

According to court documents, Yarbrough sought to have Solis removed from class for being disruptive during his half-day teaching assignment last fall. When she attempted to leave the classroom before campus security had arrived, Yarbrough blocked the doorway and told Solis she needed to wait in the classroom. Solis then yelled that Yarbrough had grabbed her around the chest and waist and refused to let her go.

TPD reviewed security camera footage and determined no crime had been committed.

Less than a week after the incident, B and C Investigations – Coelho’s P.I. firm – posted a picture of Yarbrough on Instagram with a caption that read: “This is Vance Yarbrough. He assaulted a female student at Turlock Junior High School by aggressively grabbing her by the waist and breasts …”

Yarbrough filed a defamation lawsuit against Coelho less than six weeks later.

“We’re not basing our lawsuit on the fact that Faith made a complaint, and we’re not basing it on the fact there was an investigation,” said Dustin Dyer, Yarbrough’s attorney. “We’re basing it on the fact that they knew the falsity of it and then continued to post about it on social media.”

Coelho countered by seeking a restraining order against Yarbrough, who does not reside in Turlock and had not returned for a teaching assignment at TJHS.

During a Feb. 20 hearing, Judge John R. Mayne asked Solis if Yarbrough had tried to contact her, or if there was any reason to believe he would attempt to do so in the future.

“No,” she replied.

Mayne dismissed the case with prejudice.

Coelho then posted a video in which she was critical of Mayne – he also dismissed with prejudice her attempt to obtain a restraining order against Turlock resident Ron Bridegroom – and called the county’s court system “corrupt.” She has levied similar allegations of corruption against District Attorney Jeff Laugero, Superior Court Judge Carrie M. Stephens, and state Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil, whom she sued for an alleged violation of her First Amendment rights. That case has been dismissed.

Though she referred the Journal to her attorney, Coelho later shared in a text message, “For the record, I’m handing my daughter’s case through multiple federal agencies, since nothing will be done at the local level. I was already contacted by the FBI and other agencies for oversight in California and Washington D.C.”

Coelho said that her decision to run for mayor instead of the District 1 seat allows her to “advocate for real solutions, ensure stronger oversight, and push for meaningful change that benefits every resident, not just one district.”